


Skeletons in the Closet

by TheForkingSupreme, TracyLouiseHeart (TheForkingSupreme)



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2020-06-26 20:19:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19775674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheForkingSupreme/pseuds/TheForkingSupreme, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheForkingSupreme/pseuds/TracyLouiseHeart
Summary: There's something mysterious about Nine Ball that Lou Miller finds intriguing. Something in the younger woman's silence and disaffected air feels familiar. Nine Ball is reluctant to trust the team beyond what's expected of the job, but Lou sees her in a way she's never been seen before.





	1. Kindred

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. This idea hit me earlier in the day. Thanks for coming along for the ride! 
> 
> Feedback would be extremely helpful- I'm not sure if this is a concept anyone is interested in. (I also haven't quite worked out what pairings will be popping up just yet...)

The team was sprawled around the apartment when Lou entered the loft, walking her motorcycle to the spot that she kept it. She’d been out for a spin, just to clear her head. The team was getting along beautifully, but Lou needed space. Debbie had begrudgingly allowed her to leave, since she had technically done everything Deb had asked of her for the moment. (Although Deb always worried when Lou was out of her sight, given her initial resistance to the job, and what had happened the last time…)

Lou’s eyes skimmed the room: Rose in her corner, sewing intently; Constance sliding her skateboard back and forth as she helped Amita with her dating app; Tammy and Debbie huddled up at the table, talking close (although whether scheming or flirting, it was hard to tell, and Lou didn’t really want to know).

Nine Ball was at the computer working on moving the Met security cameras to widen the blind spot. This wouldn’t have been notable, but she had been working at the same task since before Lou had gone out, and ordinarily she’d have been done by now. It wasn’t a tough task, but her eyes kept glazing over- well, more than usual. Lou shucked her leather jacket and pulled up a chair beside the hacker, straddling it’s back.

“Got a problem?” Lou drawled, flicking her lighter absently.

“Wha- no, all good.”

Lou raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve been at it quite a while…” Lou stated, glancing at her watch, “it’s been almost three hours since I left.”

“What of it? Just gotta be done today, right?”

Lou put her hands up.

“Of course, it’s not a problem. I just believe in checking in with everyone.”

“That not Debbie’s job?” Nine inquired before taking at hit from her ever-present blunt. She offered it to Lou, who accepted after slight deliberation (and making sure Debs wasn’t paying attention).

“It’s different,” Lou added, holding the smoke. She exhaled slowly, accidentally catching Deb’s eye as she did so, then rolling her eyes at Debbie’s pout. “I mean on a personal level.”

Nine Ball raised her eyebrows, “What, like touchy-feely stuff?”

Lou chuckled nonchalantly, liberating a piece of gum from her pocket to prevent herself from smoking further. Lou shrugged.

“You could say that. Seems to me the better we know each other, the better we can read each other.”

Nine nodded slowly, seeming skeptical.

“You have this kinda heart to heart with the kid?” she asked, nodding her head towards Constance.

“Not yet. She hasn’t needed it.” Lou tossed her lighter in the air and caught it.

“And you think I do?” Nine asked, flipping her locs over her shoulder.

“Do you?”

Nine Ball sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. She closed out of what she was working on.

“Cameras moved. All good.” Nine stood and Lou caught her wrist, which caused Nine Ball to flinch. Lou released her wrist immediately seeing this.

“My bad.”

“No, it’s all good.”

“You say that a lot,” Lou commented, eyes smiling. Nine blushed slightly.

“Imma get some air,” Nine announced, moving toward the door. Lou remained seated, watching her. Tammy and Debbie looked up from where they sat, curious about what was going on. “Miller, you comin’ with?” Nine Ball asked, a slight sparkle in her eye. Lou nodded slowly, gracefully extricating herself from her indelicate position on the chair and sauntering over to accompany the younger woman.

-

Lou and Nine Ball settled into a couple of deck chairs in the gravel around the side of the loft. This was formerly Lou’s smoking spot, and it had become a bit dirty from being unused for most of the past year.

“Tryna quit, huh?” Nine asked, eyeing the sparsely populated ashtray. Lou nodded. “That where the gum thing from?” Lou laughed.

“Guilty.”

“Nah, it’s impressive. Easier or harder now your girl out the slammer?” Lou laughed harder, tossing her head back.

“She’s certainly not my girl.”

Nine Ball’s brow furrowed.

“How’s that?”

“Well, first of all, Debbie Ocean is nobody’s girl. But to the extent we were an item, that ended a long time ago.”

“Damn, guess I owe Rose five bucks then.”

“Wh- why would you bet on that?” Lou asked, amused.

Nine shrugged.

“You just got this chemistry, you know?”

“Fair enough. What about Debs and Tammy?”

Nine Ball considered the question.

“Tammy want her real bad. I can’t get a read on the boss though.”

“But they seem less like a couple?”

“Sure. You all runnin’ this job like an old married couple. Tammy came in later.”

“Ah.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching the tail end of the sunset over the water.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Nine Ball eventually said, eyes smiling.

“What?”

“Quitting easier or harder with Debbie around?” Lou took a beat.

“Harder. Definitely.” The two laughed. Lou suddenly got a serious expression on her face.

“Hey, I’m sorry about her. I know she’s been…a little…closed-minded.”

Nine Ball shrugged.

“I’m used to it. But some fancy white lady wanna offer me millions, I’m not gonna sweat a little casual racism.” Lou nodded empathetically.

“She does like you, you know.”

Nine Ball nodded.

“She likes me cuz you do. And cuz she’s seen I can do what she needs. We’re not gon’ be friends though.”

“She’ll come around,” Lou reassured her. Nine Ball didn’t respond, just pushed gravel around with the toe of her boot.

“Lou?”

“Hmm?”

Nine Ball fidgeted, nervously examining one of her locs. She didn’t look up when she spoke.

“How old were you when you came here? To the States?”

“Oh uh…” Lou rubbed the back of her neck, “early twenties.” Nine Ball nodded, seemingly contemplating something. Lou could sense that the younger woman was searching for something, some kind of connection. “What about you?”

“Nineteen.”

When Nine didn’t say anything further, Lou leaned back in her chair.

“I don’t normally talk about it,” Lou eyed Nine Ball carefully, judging her reaction. Nine Ball, to a casual observer, would have seemed perfectly at ease, disaffected by whatever the world threw her way. Lou got the impression that most people didn’t look too closely at Nine Ball, which was a shame, she thought. However, she was grateful for it, because it meant that even though they were virtually strangers, Nine Ball was easier to read than someone like Debbie. Nine Ball’s deep hazel eyes looked distant, clouded by uncertainty. There was pain in her eyes, too, just a hint of it every now and again when she was lost in thought.

“Just so you know,” Lou continued, “not even Debbie knows about my past, why I came here. But…” Lou paused, catching Nine Ball’s eye before continuing, holding her gaze, “I was in trouble with the law. I did something…the Oceans wouldn’t approve of.”

“No offense, but why you tellin’ me this? We just met.”

Lou smiled impishly.

“I’m good at reading people, and I get the impression you might’ve had a similar experience.”

Nine Ball locked eyes with Lou's, slightly panicked. Lou leaned forward and touched Nine Ball’s knee gently.

“Hey, it’s okay- it was just a feeling I had. You’re safe here. I just wanted you to know I get it. And if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” Lou awkwardly removed her hand, and both women busied themselves by looking at anything but one another. Neither was, in general, much of a talker, and this was very far from being a normal conversation.

Nine Ball dropped her shoulders, sliding down in her chair, and lighting up again.

“Hey,” Lou said, concerned that she had spooked the younger woman.

“Yeah?” Nine responded, breathing out a cloud of smoke.

“You okay?”

“Mhmm,” she said, inhaling again and holding the smoke for a moment, thinking. She blew the smoke off to the side and sat up a little straighter. “I just never had somebody see through me like that before. I don’t know how to feel about it.”

Lou nodded. Before she could say anything, they heard the crunch of gravel and Tammy appeared, looking apologetic.

“Hey guys, Debbie wants to have a meeting.”

Lou rolled her eyes and groaned, earning a laugh from both of the younger women. As Tammy headed back in, Lou lagged a bit behind her. She turned to Nine Ball and said, “to be continued.” Then Lou winked, holding the door open for the hacker before disappearing to figure out what Debbie was up to now.


	2. Book by Its Cover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine Ball is often overlooked and misunderstood, but she has honed her skill set regardless. Nine also has an awkward misperception of regarding Lou and Debbie and certain articles of clothing. Some descriptive backstory for Nine and a bit of fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Guys! I'm so glad y'all are excited about this story. The comments on the previous chapter were super encouraging and very helpful! I'm looking forward to taking this adventure with you. :D

Nine never quite knew what to say when she was asked what her “real” name was. She wondered if she would ever be able to answer the question truthfully. Although, she wasn’t quite sure why Nine Ball was considered any less “real” of a name than any other. “Leslie” was certainly not a name she would have chosen, nor was it technically her original given name. But as is often the case when one is fleeing a country under duress, she had needed a new identity. It was hard, and complicated, and technically Veronica wasn’t her sister either, but hey. Either way, they were family and they had always been close. And Leslie was a sufficient name for official purposes. And having a straight identity had kept her out of trouble more than once. Particularly because most often the authorities failed to consider that women might be hackers- particularly a woman of color with little in the way of formal education.

People always underestimated Nine’s abilities, and that was perfectly fine with her. Most people couldn’t see what was right in front of them. She liked to use that to her advantage. Which was why when she was approached by a towering blond woman in red leather pants and a royal blue velvet blazer over a black tank top with a plunging neckline she had been deeply confused. This woman was most certainly someone that everyone noticed, and it didn’t track that she would have the mental energy to see people who otherwise were invisible. From someone who had such a distinctive energy, she would have expected to be as invisible as a janitor to the CEO of a multinational corporation.

What confused Nine Ball even further was the fact that this woman, probably nearly twenty years her elder, had absolutely no personal identifying information on the internet. At all. Granted, her loft, now the center of heist operations, had been vulnerable and unsecured- but that wasn’t unusual in itself. But personal information, even when scrubbed, was often easy to find. Or at least a clipping from a newspaper, a mention by a friend or relative on social media even if the person in question did not have an account…or a deleted account, a pizza order, _something_. Not for Lou, though. It made Nine Ball question whether Lou had intentionally sabotaged the security of the loft because she had concerns about going through with the job, but after working the job for a few days, it didn’t seem like that was the full story.

Sure, the whole team had been aware of Lou yelling at Debbie on the more than one occasion for taking on too much. Although Lou was obviously invested in pulling this off, intrigued by the amount of money and the challenge, there was some hesitance. And although Lou was often mistaken for being reckless, in actuality she was quite skilled in the art of risk aversion. How else could she have managed to stay out of prison for nearly half a century?

\--

Nine Ball’s upbringing had been rough, by most people’s standards. Growing up in an island nation where most income was derived from the tourism industry, she hadn’t seen anything unusual about her experience. Most families struggled to make ends meet and tried to live off of the land and any accumulated resources. It was normal to not have much in the way of material possessions, at least compared to what she’d seen of the States. In some ways, life had been simpler, people always said that it was more “laid back.” She could see what they meant, but the amount of violence proportionate to the number of people in her neighborhood was concerning to say the least. Not that she had ever really considered leaving – she hadn’t. It had barely occurred to her as a potential option. That is…until it was the only option.

Although certainly there were a fair number of people who made their living as a pickpocket or through some sort of gang affiliation, that had not been Nine Ball’s path. She’d been lucky, in some ways, despite the subpar education that she had received (and the fact that she had dropped out early). Her father had been a scavenger, primarily. She had never had the opportunity to learn where he had acquired the particular skill set with technology had come from, but he had a way with computers. Granted, such technology was not often readily available on the island in a profitable quantity in the same way that it would have been in a first world nation, but he had a network of connections in the States. Nothing that he did was illegal, not as far as she (or he, for that matter) could tell. He paid a fair scrap price for outdated machines and somehow brought them back to life, often with capabilities more advanced than originally intended.

Nine had never been as skilled in this particular way, but she had picked up quite a lot. As a small child, she’d also often been given certain tasks for the mere reason that tiny fingers could more easily accomplish them. Where she had really flourished was when she started to get a handle on coding languages and started wandering into corners of the internet that were, perhaps, off limits. The first time was unintentional, sort of, in the sense that she hadn’t thought that it was going to work. It had been some sort of stupid contest that had been open only in the contiguous United States. It wasn’t that she had cared about the contest, but she had always been fascinated by the internet, reading everything that she could get her hands on either from the library or using a computer at the local internet café. And she didn’t rig it so that she won, of course, she simply wanted to discover if she could change the parameters- and she had. Nine had been slightly surprised to find that the winner was actually chosen using a fairly basic randomizing algorithm and fully automated- she’d always assumed the winners were chosen more intentionally.

The internet had been simpler then, but she kept pace with the times. Although she had varied interests, she loved the challenge of just trying to see what she could get away with. She loved learning how things worked, analyzing the components, riffing on them. She loved to see what she could get away with from behind the scenes. It had been pretty small time before she’d fled to the U.S.- much more limited access and inferior technology available.

\--

Lou had one hip leaned up against the kitchen counter, elbow resting on the cabinet above, and a well-worn copy of Civil Disobedience perched in her hand as she waited for a pot of coffee to finish brewing. She was wearing a half-buttoned, oversized royal blue chambray button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up around her forearms, black velvet slippers. She adjusted the rectangular tortoiseshell glasses perched on her nose, turned the page, and checked her watch. 4:05. She should have enough time to fix her coffee and get back up to her room undisturbed, she thought.

Lou was just starting to lose herself in the text when she heard the creak of a floorboard a few hundred feet away. As someone who was not often taken by surprise in her own home or at this particular hour of the day, she jumped, dropping her book and banging her elbow on the edge of the counter. She winced without making a sound as she looked to find the source of the disturbance. Nine Ball stood at the edge of the kitchen awkwardly, looking guilty.

“Sorry, didn’t think anyone be up yet.”

“Do you always sneak around so quietly?” Lou asked, rubbing her injured elbow, then pushing her glasses onto the top on her head.

“Not tryna wake anybody up just cuz I’m lookin’ for a snack. Sun ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout coming up yet.”

Lou nodded.

“True.” Lou bent to pick up her book, forgetting that she was very much not wearing pants.

“Didn’t figure you a skimpy lingerie kinda person,” Nine said, raising an eyebrow as she opened the fridge, ducking behind the door both to investigate the options as well as to hide the blush creeping into her cheeks.

Lou cleared her throat awkwardly, not awake enough to know how to respond. She pulled down a large black mug from the cupboard and busied herself pouring coffee to stall as she tried to come up with something.

“I didn’t figure you as someone who’d be thinking about my underwear,” she finally responded confidently, leaning back against the counter. She blew on her coffee, smirking slightly to herself. Nine emerged from the fridge with leftover plantains and sweet potatoes, acting unaffected by both the comment and her very recent, very full view of Lou’s ass (and her first glimpse of Lou’s bare legs, too). Outwardly, she shrugged it off.

“Don’t mean nothing by it. Just seems more like Debbie.”

Lou nodded, understanding.

“She does come across much more of a femme, but you’d be surprised. She actually favors boxer briefs,” Lou shared freely, only realizing what she’d said after the fact. “But don’t tell her I said that, she’ll murder me,” Lou added with a chuckle.

Nine Ball smiled, shaking her head as she put some food into a bowl and stuck it in the microwave.

“You guys always tryin’ to defy expectations, huh?”

“Sometimes, I suppose. Mostly I just do what I want and screw everyone else.”

Nine Ball blushed again slightly at the word choice, although she knew what Lou meant.

“I respect that.”

“It seems like you have a similar mentality.” Lou took a long sip of coffee, closing her eyes and dropping her head back slightly as seeped into her bones, humming her pleasure with the experience.

Nine Ball turned her attention to her food as a reason to avert her gaze from the expanse of Lou’s long neck.

“Guess you could say that. Don’t nobody notice me usually, so not many expectations to worry ‘bout. Except when someone assumes I’m a criminal off the bat.”

“Do you feel like you’re restricted in what you do?”

“Like how?”

“Are there things you would do if people didn’t assume certain things about you?”

Nine shrugged, and pushed herself up to sit on the counter near Lou.

“Not sure. Go straight so I could make a name. Get some fancy degree or some shit. I could own most of these dudes with they sorry ass startups out in Cali, but even if I fake them degrees, nobody gonna take me seriously when I look like this,” she said, gesturing to herself- her face and locs in particular.

Lou nodded again, not ever having faced that particular situation, but able to empathize to an extent.

“That makes sense. I don’t have a degree either- shocking, I know,” Lou said facetiously, “but seriously, I feel like that shit is overrated. Isn’t it more fun to fuck with those douchebags anyway?”

Nine Ball laughed.

“Maybe. Just must be nice to have shit easy sometimes, you know?”

“Oh, believe me, I do.”

Lou drank her coffee and Nine Ball ate in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

“I’m sorry you had to see my ass,” Lou said, smiling.

“Don’t be. It’s a great one.” Nine winked and hopped off the counter, putting her dish in the sink.

Nine Ball narrowly avoided walking smack into Debbie as she turned her head just in time to process the imminent collision. Debbie put her hands up as a defense and gave Nine Ball a look. Nine saluted Debs by way of apology before disappearing into the room she’d been staying in.

Debbie locked eyes with Lou from across the kitchen, making a disapproving face. Lou furrowed her brow in a silent question. Debbie rolled her eyes as she got out a mug and crossed to the coffee pot.

“Isn’t she a little young for you?” Debbie inquired judgmentally. Lou’s brow furrowed more deeply.

“I’m sorry?”

Debbie gestured to Lou’s attire and generally rumpled appearance. Lou shook her head.

“You are unbelievable, you know that?” Lou’s voice had a slight hostile edge threatening to break through.

“So they tell me.”

“Goddammit, Debbie, it’s too early for this bullshit.”

“So you didn’t sleep with her?”

“Honestly, Deb, why do you care? What’s the difference?”

“Well-“

“No. It was rhetorical. I don’t want to know. And for the record, no, I have not slept with her.”

“ _Yet._ ”

“You’re really irritating.”

“So you keep telling me.”

Lou had a strong desire to have an actual knock-down, drag out fight, but it would certainly not have been conducive to team building or a successful job. So she bit her tongue as she topped off her coffee and headed back toward her room.

  
“Oh and Miller, nice thong!” Debbie called out after Lou. Lou could her the smug smile in her tone and it took all of her restraint not to turn around and either scream at Debbie or fuck her senseless right there on the kitchen counter. Lou knew well from previous experience that both of those options were deeply masochistic and would only lead to trouble. And trouble was _not_ something anyone on the team could afford. Literally.


	3. Two of a Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is another very awkward encounter in the loft, and Lou and Nine go on a field trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I'm sorry, this update took longer than anticipated!
> 
> I love, love, loved the feedback I got on the last chapter! You guys rock. I really hope this installment doesn't disappoint- tell me how you feel! Feedback is an excellent motivator :P

Lou was late to come down that day, and this made Debbie extremely anxious. It was only around 7:30, but Debs had been up and about since her encounter with Lou and Nine a few hours before. She continuously paced the length of the model, running and re-running the job in her head, tracing the path of the heist with a laser pointer. She picked up her tea mug and set it down several times, brow furrowed, without taking a sip. Nine Ball, ever observant, noticed this but knew to leave well enough alone. The only other person up and about in the loft at the moment was Rose, who, as always was lost in her own little world of sewing and occasionally talking to herself.

Tammy came down at around 8:30. Debbie jumped slightly, looking to see who was coming down the stairs- it could only be one of two people, and either would help put her mind at ease. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly seeing that it wasn’t Lou, but her eyes remained bright. Tammy smiled apologetically as she made eye contact with Debbie.

“Hey, I’m so sorry, I would’ve been up sooner but there was a slight turtle emergency back home.” Tammy gave Debbie’s hand a quick squeeze, and Debbie offered her tea to Tammy, who took a long, grateful sip. “So, what’re you working on, boss lady?” Tammy teased. Debbie rolled her eyes and gave Tammy a look. Tammy laughed, pushing the mug back into Deb’s hand and walking towards the kitchen.

“So TamTam, how’s being back in the big city?” Debbie asked, keeping pace with her. Tammy blushed. Nine Ball adjusted her headscarf, shaking her head at the two discreetly. Not that they seemed to be noticing anything else around them.

“Oh um, I mean. It’s…certainly different,” she said coyly. Debbie laughed.

“You missed this.” Tammy frowned.

“I was perfectly fine in retirement, Deb,” Tammy said, pulling down a violet mug from the cabinet of mismatched drinkware.

“You were bored.”

Tammy sighed as she lifted the coffee pot and filled her cup before setting it back down.

“There is a wider range of human experience than just ‘bored’ and ‘committing crimes,’ you know. Building a family is not boring, let me tell you.”

Debbie scoffed. Tammy shook her head, adding milk and sugar to her coffee and stirring a few times.

“Yeah, okay.”

Tammy paused with her spoon in the cup, looking Debbie square in the eye.

“You know, Deb, I know you think you have it all figured out, but I will remind you that you are the one who just got out of prison.”

Debbie, who ordinarily would have launched a barb back instantly, froze, setting her jaw.

“Don’t condescend to me, Tammy, just because you’re not the one who got caught. Just because I don’t have your picture-perfect life.”

“I’m _not_ , Debbie, Jesus. _You_ are the one judging _me_. You’re the one telling me how to live my life, like you know better than I do.”

Debbie hoisted herself up on the counter right beside where Tammy stood and sighed. She looked small, almost slightly fragile, even. Perhaps a relative stranger might not have picked up on it, but Tammy had known her for years. Apart from the last six years or so, they had always been close. Debbie could see that Tammy was right, but she had never known how to apologize. It wasn’t in her vocabulary.

Tammy grazed her free hand against Debbie’s and tugged on it gently.

“Hey,” Tammy said, a slight smile playing at the corner of her mouth. Debbie looked towards Tammy without making eye contact, gazing past her as though she thought she could fool Tammy. Tammy repeated herself more assertively, “hey. Look at me please.”

Debbie finally made eye contact.

“What?”

“I’m not saying that I don’t want to be here. I do, I really do. I just…”

“You just also love your family. And your life.”

Tammy shrugged.

“I mean, yes and no. I just…would appreciate it if you would let me speak for myself. Maybe…stop putting words in my mouth all the time.”

“I’m usually right.”

Tammy sighed, shaking her head.

“That’s not the _point_ , Deb. I need you to start listening to what I’m actually saying, not what you _think_ I’m saying.”

Debbie nodded, setting her now empty mug in the sink. She walked up close to Tammy, gently backing her up against the counter. She brought her mouth up close to Tammy’s ear, so close that Tammy could feel the hot, moist breath up against her flesh, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

“I’m sorry, TamTam,” Deb licked her lips, the sound of which sent shivers down Tammy’s spine. “How can I make it up to you, baby?” Tammy melted slightly, spilling her coffee on her hand.

“Ow, fuck!”

Debbie took the cup from Tammy and set it down farther away on the counter. She kissed Tammy’s hand where the coffee had spilled. Tammy’s other hand trembled as it gripped the edge of the counter.

“Did you get burned?” Debbie asked, still in a sultry tone of voice. Tammy shook her head, moving her other hand back to the counter for stability.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

Debbie moved forward, closing the distance between them and kissed her tenderly. It was softer than Tammy had expected and than she was used to, but she melted into it all the same.

\--

Lou sauntered down the stairs at around 8:45, making a bee-line for the kitchen.

“Hey,” Nine called, rising from her seat to intercept Lou. Lou smiled slightly, slightly confused as the hacker seemed to block her path.

“Hey…what’s going on?”

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you…”

Lou raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? Why not?” Lou craned her neck to try to see.

“Know how I said I couldn’t get a read on boss lady?”

Lou nodded slowly.

“Yeah well, she really wanting Tammy right now,” Nine Ball elaborated, nodding towards the kitchen.

Lou groaned.

“Guess I’ve got to make a coffee run, then.”

“I actually got to pick up some new hardware, if you don’t mind the company.”

Lou shrugged.

“Sure. As you say, Boss Lady’s got priorities that don’t involve me, so I’m in no rush.” Lou winked, pulling a piece of gum from her jacket pocket and popping it into her mouth. She pulled her car keys from a hook by the door, spinning them around her finger.

\--

Rose entered the kitchen, fussing with her phone and trying to remember which pair of glasses was appropriate for that task. She was so focused on the task as hand that she failed to register that she was not alone in the kitchen. That is, until she heard a low moan rise from the opposite side of the kitchen. When she lifted her gaze from where she stood by the refrigerator towards the counter on the other side of the kitchen, she was not prepared for what she saw.

Tammy, sitting on the counter, naked from the waist down, legs spread wide. Her back was arched, head thrown back, flushed. Debbie was crouched in front of her, pressing with one hand to keep Tammy’s thighs wide and softly continue her ministrations as Tammy crashed through an intense orgasm. Deb’s mouth surrounded Tammy’s clit, repeating a pattern of licking and sucking that only she knew; meanwhile, Debbie alternately curled and straightened the three fingers enveloped by Tammy’s warmth, removing one and slowing the tempo at just exactly the right moment, before the sensation became too much.

Rose froze where she stood, too stunned to look away, but not wanting to be a witness to what was happening before her eyes. She glanced back behind her, and, seeing that she was still relatively close to the doorway was tempted to turn back around, but her feet did not seem to be cooperating. After a moment, she composed herself enough to clear her throat. At that, Tammy stiffened, raising her head and opening her eyes, her heart still racing, gasping for breath from her prior exertion. Although speechless, she blushed deeply, trying to shut her legs. Debbie, not having heard Rose from her place between Tammy’s thighs, looked up to Tammy for an explanation for the shift in her demeanor. Rose turned her eyes back towards her phone.

When Deb saw Tammy’s eyes fixed on someone behind her, she stood slowly, wiping her mouth on her forearm before turning around. She expected to find Lou there, but tried to mentally prepare herself for the possibility that it might be someone else. However, she was definitely not expecting it to be Rose. In truth, she’d forgotten that Rose was even still in the house. It was a relief, honestly, because Debbie didn’t much care what the older woman thought of her. She couldn’t see much risk of Rose abandoning the job over something like this and didn’t anticipate becoming close personal friends. Debbie smiled wryly and headed towards the sink to wash her hands.

“How’s the design coming?” Debbie asked nonchalantly. Debbie pulled out a glass, then stepped directly into Roses’s peripheral vision as she liberated a few ice cubes from the freezer, dropping them into the glass. Debbie pivoted on her heel and headed to the sink to fill the glass with water. Rose cleared her throat again.

“Er, right… right. It’s coming along quite beautifully. Of course, I’m still just working with the muslin, but I think she’ll quite like it.”

Tammy took the conversation as an opportunity to pull her pink lounge pants back on, sliding her feet back into her slippers. Once Tammy was clothed again, Debbie crossed back towards Tammy and handed her the glass. Tammy smiled, grateful, and blushed ever so slightly. Debbie grinned at her before turning back to Rose, taking the older woman’s arm.

“Show me what you’re working on.”

\--

Lou parked the car in front of a small specialty computer shop which, by sight, looked like an ordinary bodega. Technically, parking was not allowed on this street, but she flicked the hazards on and watched as Nine Ball stepped out of the car. Her easy confidence and carefree attitude were refreshing in how uncomplicated they were. There was nothing up her sleeve, no scheme. She just did what she loved, served her clients, just lived.

Lou had sought simplicity ever since her falling out with Debbie, but she didn’t seem to be able to hack it. Sure, she’d had plenty of…distractions. There were plenty of women she’d shared her bed with. The problem was that they had all seemed so flighty, they hadn’t had any depth to them. Lou was attracted to darkness, to complications. Everything easy seemed too superficial, and, well, everything else was too hard.

This was why, of late, Lou had taken somewhat of a vow of celibacy. Not in any particular religious sense, just that after the many, many experiences she had had, she wanted to learn to enjoy being on her own. She wanted to enjoy having platonic relationships without the expectation or potential that more would follow suit. This vow didn’t have a particular duration, or any very specific parameters. She figured when she met the right person, the person who was worth all of the effort and heartache that inevitably came along with romance, she would slowly open herself up to the possibility.

It seemed, Lou thought, that Nine Ball might be the type of person who would be worth the risk, worth the inevitable pains that came with even the best of relationships. At the very least worth the risk. She watched the hacker return to the car with a couple of smiley face printed plastic bag disguising what Lou correctly assumed was contraband.

“’Bout time we get you dat caffeine fix, ey?” Nine observed, grinning up at Lou as she settled her purchases in front of the back seat before hopping in the passenger seat.

“You’re in an awfully good mood,” Lou observed, noting the increasing emergence of Nine’s accent the more time they spent together.

“What I got to be down about? En’ nowhere near de wors’ gig I been on. Besides, it’s chill wit’chu.”

Lou nodded, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

“Why don’t we walk? There’s a café not too far from here.”

Nine nodded, getting back out of the car.

“What eatin’ you?”

“Pardon?”

“What wrong wit’ you? Barely said ten words since we leave de house.”

“Oh, nothing. Just uncaffeinated.”

“Not entirely.”

“Fair.”

They walked in silence for a block or so until they arrived at the café. Lou held the door for Nine, who nodded in appreciation as she passed through the door.

“Lemme get dis fer you. Payment for de lift.”

Lou blinked.

“You really don’t have to do that.”

“I know. I jus’ want to.”

Lou nodded, and ordered an ordinary black coffee. As the barista flipped out a pour over and meticulously selected and ground the beans, Lou’s order made more sense. Lou tasted her coffee and nodded, evidently deciding this particular blend was pleasing without the addition of milk or sugar. Nine ordered an iced tea and asked for lime with it, and was actually surprised when she was presented with the coveted citrus wedge. She poured a healthy dose of simple syrup into the beverage, and caught Lou watching her as she stirred.

“I do something weird?”

Lou shook her head, looking at her cup and pretending to adjust the lid.

“No, no. It was just sort of charming how excited you were just then.”

“You flirtin’ wit’ me?” Nine teased, for some reason much more confident in her interactions with Lou than she’d been earlier that morning.

“What if I am?” Lou replied, voice deepening.

“Don’ know, what if ya are?”

The two women held each other’s gaze for a breathless moment, only breaking focus at the sound of a mug clattering into a nearby dish bin.

“Let’s go?” Nine asked, nodding towards the door. As Lou followed Nine out the door, she gently placed a hand on Nine’s lower back, dropping it as they fell into stride with one another. Nine didn’t stiffen or pull away at the contact, and found herself longing for the touch once it was gone. They sat in the car for a long while, sipping their beverages slowly and shooting the shit. The conversation was effortless, and ebbed and flowed with ease.

“Uh oh,” Nine Ball said, breaking a comfortable silence.

“What?”

“Debbie gon’ murder us if we not back soon. It almost noon now.”

Lou groaned, turning the car on and the hazards off.

“I’m sure I’m already dead,” Lou muttered, pulling out the non-parking spot.

“No worries. I’ll tell her it’s my bad. She already don’ like me. It’s not even a lie, I needed this shit for de job.”

Lou nodded, but her shoulders remained stiff. She would never get used to disappointing Debs, not matter how much Lou liked to tell herself their relationship was fine, totally normal, and totally platonic.

“Lou?” Nine’s voice penetrated Lou’s mental spiraling.

“Hmm?”

“You aight?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry…thank you.”

“What you thank me fer?”

“Pulling me back from my thoughts.”

“I didn’t know I was, but glad to help. You know, you do it for me, too.”

Lou grinned, glancing briefly at Nine as she braked at a stop light. The younger woman was watching her, and smiled as they briefly locked eyes. Lou reached her right hand out for Nine’s, which Nine gave willingly. Lou squeezed Nine’s hand and held it for several minutes, driving one-handed, before squeezing it again and letting go. She returned her wayward hand to the steering wheel in time to crank the wheel around and park by the chain-link fence.

“Time for the inquisition,” Lou joked.

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition,” Nine said, mostly to herself.

Lou, who had been getting out of the car paused, processing, and turned to Nine, laughing. Nine Ball blushed slightly but let out a giggle as well.

“Monty Python fan, I take it?”

Nine nodded.

“I didn’t think I said that out loud. My dad was really into dat shit. Guess it’s his fault.”

Lou laughed.

“Way to make a girl feel old,” she teased.

Nine rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Granny, stop stalling.”

“Sorry, what did you say?” Lou asked, imitating the voice of an old woman and cupping her hand behind her ear, hunching over slightly. Nine punched her arm playfully.

“You suck.”

“Sorry, this is elder abuse. I’m going to call the authorities.”

“You’re an ass. Imma leave you deal wit da wrath of Debbie on ya own.”

Lou feigned a somber, apologetic demeanor.

“Please forgive me, I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Anything?”

Lou nodded.

“Imma keep dat as a favor for later. You may come to regret it.”

“I’m comfortable with those odds.”


	4. Where Have You Been?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lou and Nine return to the loft to an agitated Debbie. Lou and Tammy chat while Debbie corners Nine Ball. Debbie and Lou face off a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! All of your comments were marvelous and extremely helpful! I'm sorry for the brief hiatus- work was out of control for a minute, and my other fics kept calling my name. But I'm back <3
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments!! :D

“Where the hell have you two been?” Debbie spat as Lou and Nine entered the loft, still laughing.

“Errands,” Lou said coolly, looking Debbie directly in the eye.

Rose and Tammy, who were huddled in the corner discussing design ideas for Daphne’s gown, looked up at the disruption.

Debbie narrowed her eyes, trying to determine precisely why Lou was so combative. Lou stood squarely in front of Debbie, daring her to ask.

“Better have been extremely important errands for you to have been gone so long. You knew we were supposed to go over the…thing.”

Lou set her jaw and scoffed.

“Really? Because, uh, it seemed like you and Tammy had it under control.” Lou caught Tammy’s eye in the corner, and Tammy flushed crimson. Debbie’s jaw dropped only slightly, but she recovered quickly and raised both eyebrows, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Jealous much?”

Lou rolled her eyes.

“Hardly. You two are perfect for each other,” Lou purred in a scathing tone that sent chills up the spines of everyone else in the room.

Constance emerged from the kitchen with Amita, both preoccupied with a conversation about Tinder, when they realized how eerily silent and tense the room was.

“What’s going on, guys?” Amita asked, eyeing each of the other women inquisitively. Constance plopped down on the sofa, legs spread wide, and leaned forward on her elbows.

“Nothing,” Debbie responded, turning on her heel and heading back for the model of the Met. She resumed going through each phase of the plan with a laser pointer. Nine set about upgrading her computer system while Lou headed to the kitchen.

-

“You really shouldn’t go after her like that.”

A sharp edge in Tammy’s voice pulled Lou out of her angry scrubbing trance. She set the sud-filled coffee pot down in the sink and sighed, dropping her shoulders.

“Like what?” Lou growled, not in the mood to interact with Tammy. She was sincerely beginning to regret suggesting that they bring her on.

“Why do you have to egg her on like that?”

“Like _what?_ ” Lou repeated, her voice lowering as she held herself back from shouting.

“You know…talking about us like that…taunting her.”

“I’m sorry, _taunting_ her? If anyone was taunting anyone in there, it was the boss herself.”

“Yeah, okay, fine, maybe that’s the wrong word. We _all_ know how much smarter you are than me, Lou. You don’t have to rub it in. We get it.” Lou bit her tongue, holding back from correcting Tammy’s grammar. Lou turned around, wiping her hands on a bar towel, which she subsequently tossed back onto the counter that Deb and Tammy had occupied mere hours earlier.

“Okay, fine,” Lou sighed, “what’s your point, exactly?”

“You know that you drive her crazy, so why do you always have to push? Why can’t you just…leave her be? Do damage control like you used to?”

“You think I don’t? Do you have _any_ idea how much damage control I am _constantly_ doing, Tammy? Do you really think this job could’ve even gotten this far without all of the firefighting I’ve done? Do you think you would even _be_ here?”

Tammy blinked, taken aback by Lou’s outburst. As she took a moment to process, she was left reeling by Lou’s final statement.  


“What do you mean I wouldn’t be here?”

Lou groaned, pressing her hand into the bridge of her nose, regretting having said anything.

“I was the one who suggested bringing you onto the team.”

Tammy stared blankly at Lou.

“Oh.”

Lou nodded, then proceeded to finish cleaning the coffee pot and set a fresh pot to brew. Tammy stepped closer to her.

“Lou?”

“Hmm?” she asked, furrowing her brow as she measured out the coffee precisely. She turned her head to glance at Tammy as she dumped the last of the grounds into the brew basket, shutting the machine and starting the brew cycle as she turned back towards the smaller blonde.

“I know you’re upset because of what happened between you and Debbie, but you don’t have to take it out on me,” she said, softer, but still slightly indignant.

“Is that what you think? Truly?”

Tammy nodded.

“I mean, she did break up with you-”

Lou laughed.

“Is that what she said?”

Tammy rubbed the back of her neck.

“…yes…”

Lou shook her head.

“Unbelievable.”

-

Observing that Lou had left the room, Debbie sauntered over to Nine’s computer, leaning up against the side of the desk.

“Upgrade?” she asked, leaning towards Nine, invading her personal space.

“Uh, yeah, jus’ needed a couple of things for surveillance, cracking passwords, shit like dat.”

Debbie nodded.

“I see.”

“Can I help you with something, or you jus crowding me for fun?”

Debbie chuckled drily.

“You’re not as safe as you think you are,” Debbie said, almost in a whisper.

“Am I supposed to know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout?”

“You’re wanted.”

Nine blinked but said nothing, slouching back in her chair. Debbie continued.

“I know what you did, and while I don’t care, I’m confident that I could name at least ten people who have a stake in arresting you. Or worse.”

“What did I do, exactly?”

“Do you really want me to get into the gory details? Someone might overhear…” Debbie said, glancing towards the kitchen.

“Okay, then what you want me to do? You ain’t fired me, so I assume you need me on the team. So why you bringing this up now?”

“I just want you to know where you stand…and that there will be…consequences if you don’t do as I say.”

“So you threatening me? Blackmailing me for what?”

“I want you to leave Lou alone.”

“I’m sorry? She a grown ass woman. And I ain’t exactly pursuing her.”

“Still. I can’t have her getting distracted.”

“Don’t you think you better take that up with her?”

“I will. I’m just warning you that…well, if things go sideways, that could be very bad for you.”

“Noted.”

-

“You left her?” Tammy inquired, pouring herself a cup of coffee and moving to join Lou where was leaning up against the counter.

Lou nodded.

“That I did.”

“Why?” Tammy asked, utterly baffled by the concept of anyone leaving Debbie.

“She was getting reckless…careless.”

“At work?”

“Yes, but not only.”

Tammy scrunched up her face in confusion.

“Look, Tammy, I knew she was cheating on me. I’m not stupid,” Lou sighed, more tired of thinking about Debbie than irritated by Tammy.

Tammy blinked, taken aback, and set her mug down. Lou looked at her oddly, then smirked.

“You didn’t know, did you?”

Tammy shook her head.

“What happened?”

“She didn’t tell you about _him_?”

Tammy shook her head again, intrigued.

“Well, I think that’s for her to tell. But suffice it to say, Claude Becker was the reason she got locked up.”

“…and the reason she lost you?”

Lou cocked her head to the side.

“I’m sure she sees it that way.”

“You don’t?”

“She didn’t have to get involved with him. Particularly not in secret. It’s not like I’d’ve minded her getting her rocks off with some rando. But she chose deception and she lost her head. And she got caught.”

Tammy frowned.

  
“You really would’ve been okay with that?” she asked, sounding skeptical and almost disappointed.

Lou nodded.

“I’ve never been explicitly monogamous with anyone.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“No, nothing. I just didn’t realize.”

Lou shrugged. She bent down to unzip her gold boots, peeling them off.

“It’s not really a big deal,” she said, stretching her Achilles tendons out gently.

Tammy nodded.

“I’m sure it’s not for you, living here, working in clubs. Being just…well, you.”

Lou raised her eyebrows.

“You know, Tammy, if you’re not happy, you can make different choices. It’s your life, no one is stopping you.”

“Heh, yeah. Screw my family.”

“Whatever, do what you want. But you’re lying to yourself if you think making yourself miserable is what’s best for anyone,” Lou replied before turning on her heel and making a beeline for her bedroom.

-

There was a knock at Lou’s door a few hours later.

“Who is it?”

“Who are you expecting?” Debbie replied, slyly.

Lou grumbled, pulling on her robe before answering.

“What?”

“Is that any way to greet your partner?” Debbie asked, pouting.

“Yes, when she’s extremely irritating.”

Lou sauntered back into her room, sprawling on a navy velvet upholstered chaise.

“What do you want?” Lou demanded.

“I would’ve thought you’d choose a hacker with an ivy league education, at least.”

“Why?”

“She just seems so…beneath you.”

“If this isn’t about business I’m not interested, Deb.”

“It _is_. She’s our hacker. She needs to be good.”

“And?”

“And I would’ve thought you’d vet the candidates based on credentials.”

“I thought _skill_ was a slightly more useful metric.”

“She doesn’t even have a college degree!”

“Neither do I, Deb! You know this!”

“She smokes. All the time. And she smells like patchouli.”

“So? Do you have a thing against hippie-like behavior that I don’t know about? Because you probably should’ve let me know about 15 years ago and I’d’ve steered clear.”

“It’s different.”

“How?”

“Is she even a legal citizen?”

“What the fuck does it matter? I barely am, for Christ’s sake. Debs, what the fuck are you trying to say? You don’t trust her because she’s foreign? Because I have an accent too, as you might have noticed.”

“It’s _different_.”

“Why? Because she’s Black?”

Debbie looked uncomfortable, and speechless.

“Wow. You are really unbelievable, do you know that?”

“She’s not as innocent as you think.”

“How do you know what I think? And you’re not exactly a paragon of virtue, Ms. Ocean. Neither am I, for that matter. If you want to be precious, go talk to Tammy. I’m done.”

On that note, Lou stood, pushing Debbie towards the door. Debbie, slightly cowed, walked towards the door.

“All I’m saying is watch your back, Lou.”

“That’s rich coming from you. Now get out.”

“Team meeting in an hour.”

“ _Fine_. Just _go._ ”

Lou slammed the door in Debbie’s face, leaving Debbie stunned, staring at the closed door. She was not used to Lou being this firm with her boundaries, but she wasn’t about to give up the fight either. Not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> I'm sorry if racist!Debbie isn't your favorite, but it'll get better! I promise!


	5. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine and Lou have a late night chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that I left this so long. Sometimes life gets in the way- I hope y'all are still invested in this lil' story. Thank you thank you for the lovely feedback on the previous chapter. As always, I hope you enjoy this installment! Please let me know what you think! (I'm a little shy about this chapter for some reason, so feedback would be very much appreciated).

Lou knocked softly on the door to the room Nine had been crashing in. She knew it was late, but her interaction with Debbie earlier had left a bad taste in her mouth. As confident as Lou was in her decisions, Debbie always seemed to have a way of getting into her head. Lou pulled at the sleeves of her robe, feeling strangely anxious about talking to Nine. Was this what butterflies felt like? She couldn’t quite remember. Just as Lou was turning to leave she heard the doorknob rattle.

Nine stood with the door cracked, wearing an oversized New York Liberty jersey and tube socks. She scratched her head, adjusting the knot on her satin headwrap to ensure that it was snug.

“You know Allen’s Australian?” Lou asked, gesturing towards Nine’s shirt. Nine Ball blushed slightly, shaking her head.

“Don’t follow tha players too closely. Like her number, though,” she laughed, pointing to the nine on her chest with one hand as she grasped a blunt and lighter with the other. She opened the door all the way, allowing Lou entrance.

Lou sauntered into the room, looking far more confident than she felt. She surveyed the room and sat cross-legged on the end of the bed. Apart from the bed (a full size mattress on a boxspring), there was a desk (covered in computer equipment and weed paraphernalia) and rolling chair (laden with Nine’s clothes). Nine settled against the pillows which were resting against the wall at the head of the bed as she lit up.

“So, what bring you round this side of da loft?”

“Oh, you know. Couldn’t sleep.”

Nine Ball raised an eyebrow.

  
“Any reason?”

“Boss Lady’s trying to push my buttons.”

“Guess it working.”

Lou laughed.

“Yup.”

“Why you come to me?”

“Figured you’d be up.”

“That all?”

“Well, I like your company, if that’s what you mean.”

Nine laughed.

“Well between me, Rose, and Teacher’s Pet, I can’t say I blame you.”

“Oh, I spent more than enough time with Miss Tammy today, trust me.”

“You really don’t like her? Or it just because she been muff divin’ wit’ your ex?”

“She’s alright, I guess. People like that drive me wild.”

“Whatchu mean?”

“I don’t know why she doesn’t just divorce her husband and get real about what she wants out of life.”

“Meaning Debbie?”

“Well, yes. Besides I don’t think she’s satisfied out there in the boonies with those babies.”

“Wait, you think she don’t want her kids?”

“No, no. Of course she does- have you seen her?” Lou chuckled. Nine nodded, exhaling.

“Then what?”

“I don’t know, exactly. All I know is she needs more than what she has and she keeps putting everyone else’s needs before her own out of some weird moral obligation…”

“Why you care so much about her?”

“What? I…I don’t. I just. It’s just irritating how much she complains.”

Nine nodded, dropping the subject.

“I’m assuming you ain’t come to me to talk about Tammy.”

Lou laughed, shaking her head at herself.

“No, god no. I’m sorry about that. A lot on my mind, I suppose. Not used to being around people this much anymore.”

Nine snorted.

“Woman, you run a damn club. You got people around constantly.”

“Not like this. And not like Debbie,” Lou grumbled.

Nine passed the blunt and lighter to Lou.

“Amen to that,” Nine replied emphatically.

Lou raised an eyebrow, stretching her legs out in front of her.

“Jesus. What’d she do to you?”

“Oh, we had a lil’ chat. She don’t like me. You know that.”

Beneath what Nine hoped was a nonchalant façade, Lou could see that she was shaken. The younger woman would not hold Lou’s gaze. Rather, her eyes were distant- but also wider, scared. Even with all the smoking, Lou could feel Nine’s anxiety radiating off of her.

Lou cleared her throat and scooched up closer to where Nine sat, gently resting a hand on Nine’s forearm.

“Hey. Look at me.”

Nine looked up reluctantly.

“Hmm?”

“What did she say to you?” Lou asked, narrowing her eyes. Lou’s posture and energy shifted, and it first it made Nine uneasy. But as she examined the blonde’s demeanor and finally made real eye contact, what she saw primarily was concern. Concern, but something more. Something almost like anger- but not towards Nine. The younger woman couldn’t quite place what she felt coming off of Lou, but Nine did know that she didn’t feel she had to keep her walls up quite so high. Lou also slightly resembled a guard dog in this moment, Nine thought, although this comparison did somehow help to put her mind at ease.

“I don’ know if I should be telling you ‘bout dis, but I trust you. Not sure why, but I do,” Nine Ball paused to take a hit, continuing as she exhaled. “She got some dirt on me. Tryin’a threaten me…she don’ want me hangin’ ‘round you.”

“What?” Lou spat, laughing bitterly, “how the hell does she expect to pull of the heist if we aren’t around each other? And why does she care?”

“She seem to think I’m distracting you.”

Lou scoffed.

“Well that’s just…” Lou started, her voice faltering slightly as she eyed the expanse of Nine’s thigh as the younger woman adjusted her position, jersey riding up slightly with the movement. Lou swallowed hard. Nine observed a faint flush creeping over Lou’s neck, up towards her cheeks.

“Am I? Distracting you?” Nine asked, amused.

Lou rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed, and sat up straighter.

“No…no, I uh. I mean. Not that I don’t…”

Nine laughed.

“Didn’t figure you as one to get so flustered.”

“I’m not,” Lou protested, knowing full well that she was acting like a silly schoolgirl but somehow unable to pull herself together. “I mean I just. Look. I like you, I think that much is…clear. But that certainly doesn’t mean I’m _distracted_. That’s absurd. I’m a professional.”

Nine Ball smiled awkwardly.

“Well…being that you _like_ me, and since Debbie all up in my business, you should know it’s bad. What she’s got on me,” Nine said, shrinking back into herself slightly, not quite as present.

“Look, I’m no saint, either. I’m sure I can handle it, whatever it is, if you ever decide to tell me. But the important thing is that she didn’t scare you off from telling me what happened- because that’s what she really wanted. She’s trying to manipulate you because she doesn’t want us to connect.”

“She jealous?”

“Maybe, although I don’t know why. She and Tammy are great together.”

Nine nodded.

“Still, must be hard losing someone like you.”

Lou blushed, speechless, as Nine Ball closed the gap between them, straddling Lou’s legs and pulling her into a slow, deep kiss. Lou moaned, slightly taken aback by Nine Ball’s assertiveness. Lou go her bearings back, her tongue seeking entrance to Nine’s mouth, which she was granted. Nine Ball pulled away, sitting back on her heels.

“Oops. Shouldn’t have done that,” Nine deadpanned.

Lou looked up at her questioning, confused.

“Anybody asks, tell ‘em I slipped. Wouldn’t want Boss Lady gettin’ de wrong idea,” Nine added, her eyes sparkling playfully.

“Oh, uh, right,” Lou said, gripping onto Nine’s hips and pulling her closer, kissing her tenderly, “whoops. I, uh…guess I slipped, too.”

Nine giggled, pushing Lou’s robe off of her shoulders.

“Well, long as it’s all an accident…” Nine added, repositioning one of her thighs between Lou’s legs and pushing up against her. Lou stifled a moan against Nine’s shoulder, biting into it softly.

“Mhmm,” Lou said, falling back on her elbows as Nine rubbed up against her, “fuck.”

“That’s what I’m tryin’ to do,” Nine laughed, leaning over and guiding Lou back until she lay flat on her back, “if you would just cooperate.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lou said, sliding her hands beneath Nine’s jersey, exploring the younger woman’s curves, “anything you say.”


	6. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine Ball and Tammy have a little early morning chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello, my lovelies!
> 
> As usual, I am SO SORRY that I left this so long! Hopefully this little scene will somewhat makeup for the inadvertent, very long hiatus!
> 
> I love, love, love the feedback that I have been getting on this fic, it makes me so happy! Please let me know what you think of this latest installment! <3 and I hope to get the next chapter up in a more timely fashion!

Debbie sat in the living room early the next morning. She looked immaculately kept, not a hair or stitch of clothing out of place- not that this was necessarily unusual. Nine observed her from upstairs, not quite ready to engage the Ocean after what went down the previous night, or why Lou was in her room. Lou, apparently, was less concerned about this, as she was still sleeping soundly, somehow.

Nine jumped when Tammy emerged from the bathroom they shared, hitting her hand on the bannister.

“Whoa, jumpy much?” Tammy asked, smoothing down some non-existent frizz, hair perfectly coiffed as always.

Nine leaned back into the bannister, rubbing her neck.

“Heh, yeah. Not used to seeing anyone before coffee.”

Tammy laughed.

“Yeah, I get that.”

“Surprised to see you over this side,” Nine commented, gesturing towards Debbie’s room on the other side, “seemed like you moved.”

Tammy frowned.

“Yeah, well,” she said, seeming like she wanted to say something more. She poked her tongue into her cheek and shook her head.

Nine cocked her head to the side.

“Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?” she whispered.

Tammy scoffed and responded in kind.

“Ha, paradise? No but really, it’s not a big deal. I’m married, and Deb is…well, Deb. It doesn’t matter.”

Nine raised an eyebrow.

“Doesn’t matter to who? Looks like it matters to you. And boss lady been sulking all morning.”

Tammy lifted her eyes to meet Nine’s.

“She has? How can you tell?”

Nine shrugged.

“Easy. She hasn’t moved in like twenty minutes. No pacing, not drinking her tea, just staring into space.  
  


“Well…that probably doesn’t have anything to do with me. She’d probably just like…thinking about prison or something. Or her brother. I…”

“You what?”

“I don’t think I even really register on her radar. And something tells me romance isn’t the foremost thought on her mind right now-“

Deb moved from the couch, which startled Tammy, who ushered Nine into Tammy’s room, closing the door behind her. Tammy tossed her toiletry back on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I mean, we’re in the middle of a crazy big job right now. She has nine million things on her mind at all times. For all I know, she’s meditating or something. Or, I don’t know, mentally running the job.”

Nine shook her head.

“Nah, she don’t visualize it like dat.”

“How do you know?”

Nine busied herself looking at Tammy’s random possessions on the dresser, fidgeting slightly.

“Oh, come on, Nine Ball. You can tell me. I mean, you started the conversation!”

Nine sighed heavily, weighing the options.

“Aight, but you can’t tell her I said anything.”

“Understood.”

“That was how she planned shit in the slammer, right? So, now she can’t do it like that. Or, really more like she can, but…honestly it seemed like she’d kinda forget she’s not still in there..”

Tammy blanched.

“Oh, God, I am an idiot.”

Nine’s brow furrowed.

“What? Why?”

“Oh, no, nothing. I just. We had a really stupid fight and it makes…maybe a little more sense now.”

Nine shrugged.

“Glad to be of use. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“What’s the deal with you and Lou? Got bad blood or somethin’?”

Tammy tensed a little, grimacing slightly.

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Hard not to. Though I notice…a lot, so.”

Tammy laughed lightly.

“Well, I’m not sure really how to explain that one. It’s…complicated, I guess, although that’s what, like, the most cliché thing I could say. But uh, yeah, no. It’s not…bad blood, exactly. But she did…she…uh, Deb kind of dumped me for her? So. That wasn’t my favorite thing.”

Nine’s eyes widened.

“Oh…wow.”

“Mmkay, you don’t have to look so surprised.”

“No- I just-”

“Look, I get it. I know. I know pretty much anyone would dump me for her. I’m not…blind.”

“What? No- that’s not what I-” Nine stammered.

“It’s okay. Really. I know you guys are…you know…I mean, we don’t share a wall, but, you know, I’m also not deaf.”

Nine blushed deeply.

“I am so sorry, Tammy…” Nine Ball said, looking panicked.

“Hey, hey, kid, it’s okay. I’m not going to say anything. That wouldn’t be good for any of us. But…you two might want to try to be a bit more…discrete. Unless of course you want Deb’s head to explode, although if that’s what you want I’d recommend waiting until _after_ we successfully steal those diamonds. And, well, until I go home, because I’m not cleaning that up.”

“Cleaning what up?” Nine asked, feigning innocence.

“Oh, please. Don’t play dumb with me now. You know Debbie is not over Lou.”

“Well…I mean, I don’t know about all of that. She’s pretty into you…”

Tammy scoffed.

“Yeah, okay. I’m not a complete moron. I mean, I know I make stupid choices, but…she’s only with me because…I’m here. And she can be. I’m…the way Debbie is with Lou, that’s how I am with her. The only difference is…Lou isn’t manipulative. And Deb is…stronger than I am.”

Nine tapped her nails on the dresser for a moment, considering this.

“Tammy, I know why you would say that and all but…I think it’s more to it than all that. I mean, yeah, Boss Lady’s mad she can’t control Lou, but I ain’t so sure she want her like…you know. It don’t seem like she want anything real, more of a game, really. Least that’s the impression I get,” Nine said, shrugging.

Tammy’s eyes lit up ever so slightly, a tiny spark of hope reignited.

“Maybe,” she said, coyly, trying to mask her longing. “All I know is that Debbie has never been jealous when I did anything, and literally everything Lou does drives her crazy.”

“…that you know of,” Nine added, smirking, and left Tammy’s room. Tammy stayed sitting on the bed, puzzled yet intrigued by this new perspective.


	7. Olive Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deb and Tammy deal with some relationship tension; Lou and Nine spend some quality time together; Deb and Nine have a relatively civil conversation  
> CW: discussion of rape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I'm back. 
> 
> Thanks for continuing to read this! I'd love your feedback on this installment- and to know what you're hoping to see in the future! Comments always deeply appreciated.
> 
> xo <3

Late in the afternoon, once Deb had run through the team meeting and overseen a massive tax fraud-related meltdown on Rose’s part, she retired to her bedroom to take the mask off. She started to run a bath in the en suite bathtub, letting herself relax for the first time that day. Deb looked down at her arms, which were deeply bruised in several places.

She had slept poorly since getting out of prison, with the exception of the first night due to sheer exhaustion. Prior to her own experience, she had never been one to shy away from taunting her brother with stupid homophobic rape jokes. Even knowing and seeing the effects of what he had gone through, the way he had withdrawn wasn’t enough to stop her from ragging on him. While she never got any sort of confirmation or true reason to believe that anything of the sort had happened to him, being in prison was not easy. On almost anyone.

Now, though, she wished that she could take everything she’d said to him back. Of course, it was entirely possible that he may still be alive, but as far as she knew, he wasn’t. And probably his last memories of her were some variety of her razzing. Hell, to her way of thinking, it was probably karma that she’d been violated in lock-up, and to add insult to injury, of course it had been a guard. An old school guard who had transferred in from out of town, who resented the Ocean’s connections. One of her aunts and her mother had done a stint at his former post and had practically run the place, which left a bad taste in Frank's mouth, so to speak.

He was a large man, impossible for Deb to overpower. He had invited himself into her cell in solitary, and although another CO knew what was going on, she had done nothing to stop it. She hadn’t even allowed Deb medical care. Of course, there could’ve been a reckoning once Deb was returned to the general population, hell, maybe that would’ve been the right thing to do, the feminist thing to do, but she had bigger fish to fry. And she didn’t want to be known as the one who couldn’t hack it, the prisoner who got raped in prison. Debbie Ocean did not admit weakness, and this was certainly something that she viewed as a weakness.

It also meant that she would not admit to the fear she experienced in the wake of these assaults, or the anxiety, the panic attacks…

Even now, even in Lou's place, even sharing a bed with Tammy, she didn't feel safe. And every time she started to drift off to sleep, the night terrors would take hold. She'd come to hate falling asleep, dreaded it.

Deb was terrified the first night she actually fell asleep beside Tammy. Deb had awoken in the middle of the night, heart beating out of her chest, kicking at the covers and trying to strangle a pillow. From then on, she made sure to only sleep in her own bed, where she couldn't hurt anyone and they wouldn't notice anything.

-

The previous night she had…kind of picked a fight with Tammy just to make good and sure they wouldn’t be sleeping in the same room. And well, in part it had also started because she kept sneaking out on nights that they spent together, usually spending much of the night on the couch, working.

Deb and Tammy had been in Debbie's room, Deb straddling a very naked, very flushed Tammy, who kept asking whether the door was locked. Three of Debbie's fingers were thrusting in and out of Tammy, whose toes curled as she tried to use Deb's mouth to stifle her moans, squirming and trying not to scream as she squirted, Deb grinning and chuckling softly, taking pride in the amount of pleasure she had given.

Tammy’s body, pink and glistening in the soft lamplight and the glow of a few candles, was perfect. Her glowing exhaustion, and the haphazard way her legs were splayed. The dark, lusty gaze that belonged to Deb and no one else. Tammy was slender, sure, and reasonably fit, but it was more than that. There were stretch marks, mostly from the birth of her children, in addition to a couple that Deb remembered from a course of medication that had caused her to gain and lose a substantial amount of weight in her late twenties. There were the constellations of freckles, the random handful of moles that Debbie still knew by heart.

Deb had spent hours studying the new lines and textures of Tammy’s body, the wider hips, looser breasts, the still slightly puckered skin along her C-section scar, all of which Tammy had been deeply self-conscious about. Debbie, though, reveled in these details. She loved how real Tammy’s body was, the history that was written there. She loved knowing the stories behind each scar, that this body had been through a lot and was still here, still strong, and to Deb’s eye all the more beautiful because of it.

Not that she would mention any of this to anybody else- hell, she’d barely admit it to herself or Tammy. There were moments, in the afterglow, when she’d speak freely of such things, but Tammy knew better than to ever mentions such things outside of the moment.

“You okay, Deb?” Tammy asked, still sprawled on the bed, rolling onto her side to get a better look at Debbie, who was standing by the window. Tammy blew out one of the candles by the bed, smiling blissfully.

Debbie turned to face Tammy, sighing.

“You ask that a lot,” Debbie retorted, an unexpected edge in her voice.

Tammy pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

“Uh…sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“What do you want from me, Tammy? Huh? I just got out of prison and you’re sitting here acting like…what? Like I should just be…the same person that I was before? Like nothing happened?”

“No…no, Deb, it’s nothing like that. And you were the one who brought me here, remember?”

“Yeah, well…”

“Deb, what is happening right now?” Tammy asked, uncharacteristically angry.

“Tammy…”

“No, what the hell? You’ve been treating me like crap ever since I got her. I get if you’re not over Lou still, honestly, I can deal with that, but I am a person, not a plaything.”

“Oh, Tam Tam, what are you getting your panties all in a twist for? Was seven orgasms not enough for the pillow princess?” Debbie asked in the patronizing tone that she knew Tammy hated more than almost anything.

“You know what, fuck you. It’s not my fault you don’t let me touch you. And it’s not my fault that I am more than a sex doll. First you wanted me to sleep with you, to stay with you, move into this room, and now you never want me around. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you moving away from me in bed, that I haven’t noticed you sneaking out in the middle of the night. And you keep acting like I’m this clingy piece of shit that you can’t seem to shake loose. So which is it? Do you want me here or not? Because as you will recall, I am only doing this job for you. Because you seduced me into it.”

“Jesus, Tammy, it’s not that serious. And I’m not exactly a cuddler. This is just business and a little fucking on the side. That’s all we have ever been. Can you not handle that?”

“Fuck you, Deb. You can’t just rewrite history because it suits your image. I was there, I know what happened. But if I’m just some ratty security blanket to you, I’m not going to do this.”

“Security blanket? Tammy, I left _you_ , remember? I don’t need you. I certainly don’t need you sleeping in my bed.”

Tammy reeled, looking as though she was about to cry. She stood, trying to hold her head high but failing miserably. Her lip trembled, but her eyes still shot a venomous glare.

“I’m going to leave now before we say things that we can’t take back. And tomorrow, if you still can’t have a civil conversation with me, you’re going to need a new fence. I know you think that I’ve gone soft and you can just manipulate me because I let you seduce me into this, but you need me more than I need you. I’m fine back at home. But you…without this job, what even are you?”

\--

After Nine’s heart to heart with Tammy, she returned to Lou, who was snoring softly, sprawled like a starfish across the mattress. Nine rolled her eyes and tossed a balled up t shirt at her.

“Miller, wake up.”

Lou stirred slightly, groaning.

Nine opened the shades, letting the sunlight stream in. Lou covered her eyes with a pillow groaning louder.

“Why must you torture me this way?” Lou grumbled, pouting.

“What’re you, a vampire?” Nine asked, laughing as she dropped down onto the mattress beside Lou, resting her head on Lou’s stomach. This prompted another groan from the blonde.

“Maybe. Get off!”

“Geez, way you’re treatin’ me, I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t’ve let you all up in my business.”

Lou scoffed, removing the pillow from her face and cracking an eyelid open.

“Oh really?”

Nine moved her head, making like she was going to get up, but Lou turned and wrapped her arms around Nine’s waist playfully before Nine had a chance to escape. Nine relaxed her body fully, like a ragdoll or a petulant toddler. Lou rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on.”

“What?”

“You know you like this.”

“Maybe,” Nine said playfully, smirking as she regained her balance.

“So what’ve you been up to this morning?”

“Oh, nothin’. Just went out to pee and got intercepted by your friend Tammy.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm. Seems she slept in her room last night…” Nine responded, smirking.

Lou dropped her forehead down to Nine’s shoulder, grimacing at the realization that Tammy must’ve heard…everything.

“Shit.”

Nine laughed.

“It’s fine. She ain’t gonn’ tell Debbie. ‘Sides it sound like they been havin’ trouble in paradise anyway.”

Lou cocked her head to the side.

“No kidding. They’re so good together…”

Lou moved to get up, but Nine pulled her back down onto the bed, her breath tickling Lou’s ear.

“That really what you wanna talk ‘bout right now? Way I figure it, we got about an hour, hour an’ a half til Debbie and Tammy get…sorted.”

“No, no I don’t want to talk about that,” Lou said, kissing Nine, thus effectively ending the conversation.

\--

Tammy stood in front of the chair that Deb was slumped in. Upon closer inspection, Tammy discovered that she had fallen asleep, with a book on her lap, forehead in her hand. Tammy cleared her throat, causing Debbie to jump out of her chair, the book flying across the floor. Tammy stooped to pick up the book.

“Clarissa? Really?”

Debbie blinked.

“Huh?”

“No, nothing, I just didn’t figure you for the type to read old ass novels about…virtue…and marriage…”

“Oh…it’s not mine. One of the people who used to squat here was an English professor or something…” Deb said, her eyes glazed over with exhaustion.

“What, no snarky comeback?”

Deb tried to wave Tammy off. Tammy held her hand out to Debbie.

“Come on, we need to talk.”

Deb looked up at Tammy’s outstretched hand warily.

“About what?”

Deb was trying to muster indifference (bordering on sarcasm), but she failed miserably. Tammy rolled her eyes, gently taking on of Deb’s hands in her own, tugging on it gently.

“Come on, Deb. I need you to be real with me, and I know that’s only going to happen privately, so let’s go. Because you know me. I can be a soft, quiet homemaker but I am also fully capable of making a scene. And I will.”

Deb chuckled softly.

“Nobody’s even out here.”

“Yet. Come on.”

Debbie sighed, relenting, and got up from the chair, allowing Tammy to lead her into her bedroom.

\--

Nine and Lou ambled down the stairs, freshly showered and dressed, having an innocent conversation about nothing in particular, when Constance appeared at the foot of the stairs.

“You guys should probably consider stocking that kitchen. There’s nothing to eat here!”

Lou rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll work on that,” she laughed. “But first I need coffee,” she said, trudging towards the kitchen. She glanced over to see that the light in Debbie’s bathroom office was still off, which tracked. This was probably a good thing, probably meant that she and Debbie were patching things up.

Constance pouted but relented.

“I think Rose just made some.”

Rose poked her head out from the kitchen as the others approached.

“Did somebody say my name?”

“Coffee, Rose, you made it?” Nine chimed in.

“Right, right. Yes. It’s ready, I’ve just fixed a cup. You know I’m not ordinarily much of a coffee person, but who can afford not to be with these hours?”

Lou and Nine Ball shared a glance, each trying hard not to laugh. Constance slid past to the counter and picked up a half-drunk Red Bull she’d left there.

“Well, there’s always this stuff,” she said, taking a gulp.

“I don’t…think…Rose needs quite that much of a lift,” Lou said, eyebrow raised.

Nine Ball, on the periphery, stealthily picked up a banana and made like she was about to attack Lou with it. Lou raised a finger gun to shoot her, which nobody else noticed, at which Nine dramatically “died.” Lou laughed, causing Constance and Rose to look at her as though she were crazy. Nine laughed silently behind as she went to pour out two cups of coffee. She handed one of the cups and the banana to Lou who shot her a look.

“Rude,” Lou whispered in Nine’s ear as she stepped back to join the conversation. Rose and Constance had shrugged off Lou’s laughter and were now contemplating what they wanted for breakfast.

“Ey, it ain’t my fault, you’re the one keepin’ me up watching Flying Circus in the middle of the night,” Nine replied, noting that Rose and Constance were engrossed in a debate about whether pancakes or waffles were superior. “Least I can do is make sure you know what to do if someone come at you with fresh fruit. Never know when you might need that,” Nine said, winking.

“Yo, Lou, can we get on that food situation now? Skateboarding in from Queens kinda burns a lot of calories,” Constance interrupted, with no awareness of their side conversation.

“Sure, kiddo,” Lou said, adding an ice cube and milk to her coffee solely in order to cool it down sufficiently to drink it faster. She set the mug in the sink when she was finished, then brushed past Nine, banana still in hand.

“I did not hear any complaints about anything that I did last night,” Lou said, peeling the banana and taking a bite as she ushered Constance and Rose towards the front door and grabbed her keys.

“Yo, Miller, get me a waffle though!” Nine called out behind them, settling against the counter to drink her coffee.

Lou glanced back and gave a brief nod of acknowledgement.

\--

Tammy closed the door to the bedroom and looked at Deb expectantly. Deb tilted her head to the side.

“What?”

“Deb…did something happen to you? When you were inside?”

Debbie scoffed.

“Did something happen to me in prison? Yeah, Tam, a lot of things. I was in _prison_. For five and a half years.”

“Okay, okay, that was a stupid question maybe, but I…Deb, something is off with you, and I don’t know how to have this kind of conversation with you anymore.”

Debbie sighed deeply.

“No, you do know how to do this. You’re doing fine. I’m just…what do you want to know?”

Tammy sat tentatively on the edge of Deb’s bed and patted the spot beside her.

“Have you been talking to someone?”

“What, like a shrink?”

“Yeah...like a shrink.”

“Well, I’ve been…seeing a psychiatrist. I uh, started seeing one…while I was still in there. There was…um…” Debbie’s voice cracked. She cracked her knuckles and her neck, anxious. Tammy reached out a hand and rested it on top of Debbie’s, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“It’s okay, sweetie, it’s just me. You can tell me anything, and if you’re not ready, that’s okay too. I just need to know…that you’re okay. And…well, we do need to address the sleep thing, because you’re obviously not getting enough with me here…and you’re gonna need that if we are going to pull this job off.”

Deb nodded, taking Tammy’s hand in both of hers, and lifting it up to her lips to kiss it. She kept her grip on Tammy’s hand as she took a deep breath and resumed talking.

“It’s nothing too interesting to tell. I guess everything is kind of that way, you know? Happens to enough people it’s not that unique of a story, but still enough to fuck with you if you’re…if it happens to you…”

Tammy braced herself as Deb’s eyes travelled to the far corner of the room, becoming slightly glazed over.

“Deb…honey, look at me. You’re okay.” Tammy said, putting her other hand to one of Debbie’s and squeezing it lightly. Debbie met Tammy’s eyes and exhaled, then took a deep breath.

“Thanks. Um. Anyway, one of the CO’s had some unfinished business with my family. He uh, obviously didn’t abide by Danny’s code of conduct,” Deb chuckled. “He raped me. And I uh…well…it was a few months before…I…got any sort of medical care…related to that. Um. I uh…had a panic attack in the middle of the night, really lost it and, well, they couldn’t deny that something was going on with me anymore. Well, I mean, there’s nothing officially in any records that says it was rape, of course, but. Yeah.”

Tammy nodded silently, clearly having expected something like this, but also evaluating how Debbie was feeling in all of this. Tammy freed her hands from Deb’s and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in close. Although Deb initially stiffened, she melted into the embrace after a moment, breathing Tammy in. Tammy was good, and Tammy was safe. But she also deserved the whole truth.

“Hey um, Tam?”

“Yeah?”

“I um…it's not you. The reason I haven't been sleeping with you.”

“Oh, I…”

“You were right to notice something was up…but I…I do a lot of unpredictable things when I fall asleep, if I manage to, and I just…I don't want to hurt you.”

Tammy looked slightly confused, but also amused at the wording.

“Unpredictable things? What type of ‘unpredictable things’? Like a variety show?” she asked, teasing lightly as she ran her fingernails in gently circles across Deb’s scalp. Deb chuckled and relaxed into the touch. Tammy repositioned slightly, guiding Deb’s head to rest on Tammy’s lap as she continued her ministrations.

“Mm, no. Although if it were I would definitely never sleep with you again.”

“So, what is it then?”

“I um. I have these dreams…I forget where I am. I feel like…I’m back in there, in solitary, with this…man. Fighting him.”

“…okay…well, I can handle that. I know how to manage bad dreams,” Tammy said, stroking Deb’s cheek.

“It’s a bit more than that. And…I am…larger than your kids. Look, the first couple of nights after I got here, I scared the shit out of Lou and she was in a completely different room.”

Tammy tensed slightly at the mention of Lou, as she always did. She knew, on some level, that she was completely ridiculous to be this jealous of the grifter, but she also knew that that a not unsubstantial part of Debbie would always be in love with her. And that she and Debbie would most likely always be intimately entwined in one another’s lives, if for know other reason than that they worked extremely well together.

It was as if Debbie and Lou were like cogs that were specifically designed to work together, and Tammy was just the grease in the middle, only ever involved for a brief period of time, and while she clung like hell for as long as she could, it was only a matter of time before she would be flushed out an replaced. Well, perhaps that was a bit melodramatic, but that was how it always felt.

“Tam?” Debbie asked, peeking one eye open, brow furrowed in concern.

“Huh? Sorry, sorry. What did you say?”

“Just… screaming and thrashing, sometimes. I punched Lou in the nose the first night I was here…I thought she was him. After that I made her promise not to come in when I’m asleep.”

“I’m sure she was a fan of that solution,” Tammy said, sarcastically.

“Aww, Tam-Tam, you’re not jealous, are you?”

“No…no, I’m not…jealous at all. I just…she can be…she’s like your guard dog. And if I know her at all, she probably blames herself for letting you get locked up.”

Deb scoffed.

“Yeah, right. She’s just pissed off at me for being a dumbass. Which is fair, so am I.”

“Well, I’m pissed off you were a dumbass, too, but Lou...well, I never told you this back then, but she confronted _me_ because she was worried that _I_ was going to hurt you. So. Yeah, I think she thinks protecting you is part of her job description.”

“Wait, seriously?” Deb asked, raising her head from Tammy’s lap. “What the hell did she think you were going to do to me? Bore me to death with stories about suburbia?”

“Well, no, not exactly. You know, the details aren’t that important – ” Tammy started, blushing.

“No, Tammy, they are. I want to know what she said to you.”

“Er…well…I’m not sure I remember exactly, heh,” Tammy said, scratching the back of her neck, “but well, part of it was that she said if I retired, you would lose your way. And…that…you…er…well. She said that maybe I should…not talk to you about my…romantic…exploits.”

Debbie looked confused.

“That…seriously does not sound like Lou.”

Tammy shrugged.

“That’s because she doesn’t show _you_ that side. I mean, she’d be mortified if she knew I was telling you any of this. But…for the rest of us…she’ll only let us in if she thinks we’re good for you.”

“Well, she’s not my keeper. She never should’ve been, and she certainly isn’t now.”

“I’m not sure she sees it that way, but seeing as you two aren’t together anymore…and I’m the one who gets to - ” Tammy paused, bending down to kiss Debbie sweetly, “do this,” she continued, before kissing Deb more thoroughly, “well, I don’t really care what she thinks right now.”

Debbie was surprised by Tammy’s forwardness, but even more so by how much Tammy’s actions turned her on, considering the jolts of terror and the dissociation that ordinarily came with being touched lately. Debbie moaned softly, pulling Tammy further onto the bed, fingers fumbling to slide beneath Tammy’s sweater, pulling Tammy on top of her.

“Deb…are you sure?”

Debbie nodded, smirking.

“I’m all yours.”

Tammy giggled, kissing Deb a little more roughly as she took the reins.

“You know, nobody would believe you let me do this,” Tammy whispered, swirling her tongue across Deb’s earlobe before dragging her teeth lightly over the same spot.

Deb inhaled sharply, squirming beneath Tammy’s grasp. Tammy pinned her down a little more forcefully, but holding Deb’s gaze, making sure Debbie was with her at every step. Debbie moaned again, deeply this time, as Tammy slide her thigh up between Debbie’s now bare legs.

“Well,” Deb said, gasping, “its not for them to know.” Debbie grinned before hungrily taking Tammy’s lower lip between her own.

\--

Debbie and Tammy managed to make themselves presentable by the time the rest of the crew had arrived back to the loft, ready to work. Debbie confidently gave assignments and insights into each component of the job, and the meeting went off without a hitch.

Afterwards, when everyone had set to work, Debbie stopped by to check on Nine Ball, who was in the middle of texting her sister to let her know she’d be missing their weekly dinner.

“Who was that?” Deb inquired, with the requisite level of venom that she reserved for specifically for Lou’s conquests. She wasn’t sure why she did it, only that it was a sort of game that she liked to play. Maybe she needed to get out more.

“Oh, nobody. Just my sister.”

“Your sister is nobody?”

“Well, not to me, but I assume you ain’t ‘bout ta give two shits about her.”

“Fair.”

“You need something?”

“I shouldn’t have tried to blackmail you. But. If we’re going to keep working together, your past…is likely to come up at some point and cause some…complications.”

“Thought this was just a couple weeks…”

“Well, sure, this job is. And maybe I’m presumptuous to think you’d be interested in future takes, but if you are, it’s something that we should…think about.” Deb lowered her voice so nobody else could hear, “Honestly, even if you don’t want anything to do with me after this, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to lay all of that to rest. Officially. The last thing I’m sure any of us wants is for this to come back to bite us,” Deb said, nodding towards Lou, who was managing another of Rose’s meltdowns.

Nine Ball eyed Debbie suspiciously, unable to get a read on what her angle was. Truthfully, it almost seemed like this might be an olive branch, but she’d burned a few to many times trusting the whims of her more privileged clients in the past.

“If you can get that shit to go away, I’ll stick around as long as you like.”


End file.
